Before freezing your sweet potatoes, you must ensure they are completely clean and sliced. After that, cook them in boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes until they are firm and pierce easily. Once cooked, allow them to cool to room temperature and place them into freezer-safe bags. You can also freeze baked sweet potatoes.
After piercing the skin with a fork, place them on a sizable baking sheet. The sweet potatoes should be baked for 90 minutes before being allowed to cool to room temperature. Each sweet potato is wrapped in aluminum foil before being placed in freezer bags. Sweet potatoes that have been baked can be kept for six months in the freezer.
How do you Freeze Sweet Potatoes?
The best option might be to buy them in the fall when they are accessible and affordable and to create a small stockpile in the freezer.
We wrote this article to educate you on sweet potatoes and how to freeze them so that you can cook them whenever it’s convenient for you in light of the situation above.
Blanching
Blanching sweet potatoes before freezing is a great way to ensure that the vegetables stay firm and delicious when thawed. This is important before freezing, as excessive moisture can make sweet potatoes mushy and stringy when defrosted. After blanching the sweet potatoes, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen, store the sweet potatoes in the freezer for up to six months.
Before freezing, remove any excess liquid from the potatoes and place them into a plastic bag or container. Place the bag or container into the freezer for a few hours or overnight, depending on the desired time. Don’t forget to rinse the sweet potatoes before freezing since they can get soaked with water or moisture before freezing.
Thawing
Before freezing sweet potatoes, make sure to wash and blanch them thoroughly. You can freeze the sweet potatoes whole or in single portions in an airtight freezer bag. Then, you can thaw them in the refrigerator. However, if you plan to use frozen sweet potatoes immediately, you should blanch and cut them into slices or rounds first.
Before freezing, you should remove the skins from the sweet potatoes. Once you have done so, you can mash them. It’s best to roast sweet potatoes in the oven if you want a crunchy exterior. Alternatively, you can buy pre-cut sweet potatoes. Roasting them in the oven will reduce the cooking time. But remember that raw sweet potatoes contain a high water content, which can attract freezer burn and become mushy when thawed.
Microwaving
Microwaving sweet potatoes is a simple process. Microwaves produce heat evenly throughout the sweet potato, making the cooking process fast. After preparing the sweet potato, it is necessary to let it cool for about 5 minutes before wrapping it in aluminum foil. This will keep the sweet potato warm and fluffy and prevent it from drying out too quickly.
The first step is to place the potatoes in a large bowl of iced water. After they are cool, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Be careful not to bump the potatoes. Then, place the potatoes in the freezer for at least an hour. Then, remove the potatoes and transfer them into a freezer bag. You can store them in this bag for up to six months.
Cold Water Method
If you want to save time and money, you can prepare sweet potatoes ahead of time. First, blanch the potatoes in a large pot of water until they are tender but firm. Then, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl of ice water. This will stop the cooking process and make the potatoes easier to handle. Once the potatoes have cooled, please place them in freezer bags and store them for up to 12 months.
The next step is to wash the sweet potatoes. Use cold water to wash the sweet potatoes and scrub them gently. Once the potatoes are clean, you can cut them into wedges or cubes. If you want them to have a crispy outer texture, roast them with olive oil or salt. However, remember that sweet potatoes contain a high water content. They can attract freezer burn and can become mushy when thawed.
How to Freeze Boiled Sweet Potatoes?
Whether whole, sliced, diced, or cubed, boiling sweet potatoes can be frozen without issue. They go well with stews, soups, and sweet potatoes that have been candied.
The sweet potato can be frozen in the following ways:
- The sweet potatoes should be washed and scrubbed before being sliced to your taste.
- The skin won’t need to be peeled off because it will come off easily after being cooked. Cook them for 10 to 15 minutes after dropping them into a kettle of boiling water. Use a fork to test the doneness; it should readily pierce through while retaining some firmness.
- Sweet potatoes should be removed from the pot and cooled to room temperature.
- Sweet potatoes should be placed in freezer-safe bags. Remove any extra air, then seal and freeze.
How Long do Raw Sweet Potatoes Last in the Freezer?
Compared to other vegetables, sweet potatoes have a longer shelf life. Sweet potatoes will last for about a month if you store them in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated space.
Some prefer to keep their raw sweet potatoes in the refrigerator, which they can keep for up to three months.
However, it is important to note that putting raw potatoes in the fridge makes them harden in the middle and affects how they taste when cooked.
The freezer increases the shelf life of sweet potatoes. In the freezer, cooked sweet potatoes keep for about a year. This is when cooked sweet potatoes, whether mashed, sliced, or whole, can be stored in the freezer.
On the other hand, raw sweet potatoes don’t keep well in the freezer. Within three months, we advise using frozen raw sweet potatoes.
Past that point, the potatoes will continue to be good. However, the more flavor and texture changes occur, the longer you store them in the freezer.
Other Methods for Freezing Sweet Potatoes
As you are already aware, the best method for storing raw sweet potatoes in the freezer is not to do so.
The sweet potatoes should be cooked if you have the time before freezing them. You can boil, bake, or mash the sweet potatoes in advance, depending on how you intend to use them.
The cooking process of many dishes can be sped up, and making meals and snacks much simpler by having boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes in the freezer.
For instance, boiled sweet potatoes that have been frozen are ideal for soups and stews. On the other hand, frozen baked potatoes require about 30 minutes in the oven to thaw and finish your meal.
Can you Freeze Sweet Potatoes After Roasting or Baking?
The answer is yes if you’re wondering if you can pull it off. Longer responses necessitate more steps throughout the entire process.
Since they’ll likely lose more flavor and texture from cooking, baking, or roasting sweet potatoes, you might be able to freeze them more successfully.
Ensure they are cool enough to handle with bare hands before freezing them if you intend to freeze them immediately after baking.
Instead of attempting to cool them down too quickly, let them cool off naturally.
Wrap them in plastic and put them in a freezer bag. Before putting the potato in a freezer bag, the air inside the potato needs to be removed.
Reference: Effects of Drying Processes on the Antioxidant Properties in Sweet Potatoes
How to Freeze Mashed Sweet Potatoes?
Mash potatoes can be frozen somewhat differently than fries or wedges. Making your sweet potatoes the way you would if you were planning to serve them is what you should do.
Before adding them to a saucepan of boiling water, peel and chop them, add your seasonings, cream, or whatever else you prefer to put in your mashed sweet potatoes once they are ready to be mashed.
Allow them to cool off totally. They can be frozen flat in a freezer bag, one of two excellent ways to keep them.
I prefer to store them in ice cube trays so I can quickly remove as much or as little as I need, and they thaw out perfectly. For one side, I would advise using roughly four cubes.
3 Tips for Freezing Sweet Potatoes
Consider a few suggestions to make the most of your frozen sweet potatoes.
1. Do not freeze raw sweet potatoes. Without heating them first, they are prone to develop freezer burn and a disagreeable texture if you freeze them. Sweet potatoes contain a lot of water.
2. To cut down on prep time, try blanching your potatoes. Try blanching sweet potatoes if you need to prepare them for the freezer rapidly. To be blanched, your potatoes should be carefully added to a big saucepan of boiling water. Give them three to five minutes to cook. With a fork, determine when they are done. They ought to be soft but firm. They can be swiftly added to a bowl of ice water after being swiftly removed from the hot water using a slotted spoon. Thanks to the cold water, they won’t cook and will be simpler to handle. Sweet potatoes that have been blanched should be put in a freezer bag, with any extra air squeezed out, and stored for up to a year.
3. Use the defrost setting on your microwave. Your frozen sweet potatoes can be thawed in a bowl of cold water for a few hours or left in the refrigerator overnight, but microwave reheating is the quickest method. Use the defrost setting on your microwave to prevent overcooking or to dry them out.
Conclusion
These are the most effective techniques we could find for freezing sweet potatoes, so there you have it. However, if you have a personal favorite method that you’d like to share, please do so in the comments section; we’d be interested in reading about it.
We sincerely hope we can teach you some of the most effective techniques for freezing sweet potatoes.
New concepts are always welcome here. T ese are the best answers we have so far discovered; we sincerely hope this article was helpful to you.
